


Bubbas

by takeawalkwithme



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, Memories, blast from the past, pilots are the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-08
Updated: 2013-04-08
Packaged: 2017-12-07 20:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/752645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takeawalkwithme/pseuds/takeawalkwithme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fellow squadron members; anyone who flies the same aircraft as you do. </p><p> Martin grudgingly tore his gaze from the landing plane he could see through the airport window and ran over to where his family was standing at the Air England bording gate. Granted, it had taken him half a minute to put the letters together and form the words in his head, but he would never quite forget them in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bubbas

**Author's Note:**

> following this prompt:
> 
> You know how, when you're at a big airport, you see pilots walking around in their uniforms and hats and it's really cool? I want to see Martin at the airport, all proud and in his hat and uniform, walking around with his little suitcase. Or Douglas! Or Arthur, in his steward uniform. Or Carolyn just being all proud. Maybe a little kid runs up to Martin and asks him questions, and it's adorable. Or maybe Martin IS the little kid at the airport, watching all the really awesome pilots in their awesome uniforms and wishing to be a pilot (or airplane.)
> 
>  
> 
> http://cabinpres-fic.dreamwidth.org/6625.html?thread=12200673#cmt12200673

Never, ever in his – admittedly so far short – life had Martin been this excited. He had just started school 4 months ago and had already learnt so much. While Mrs. Bellingham had told him that no, little boys could not grow up to become big planes, they could do something a lot better.

They could become pilots and fly big planes.

And now he was going to sit in an aeroplane for the first time in his life. With Mummy and Daddy and Simon and Caitlyn. This was the best day of his life.

He had woken up at half 5 knowing this was the day. They would go to the airport at noon and then fly to Majorca. And Mummy had told him it would take two and a half hours. And in two weeks, after Christmas presents and New Years fireworks and his first holidays abroad, they would fly again. 

He didn't even mind sharing a room with Simon for two weeks. He would fly. And not just trip over his shoe laces and fall into a muddy puddle, which he secretly cherished for the miniscule moment of not touching the ground, but really be in the air. 

 

“Martin, dear, are you coming? We have to hurry a bit, the plane leaves in an hour.” 

Martin grudgingly tore his gaze from the landing plane he could see through the airport window and ran over to where his family was standing at the Air England bording gate. Granted, it had taken him half a minute to put the letters together and form the words in his head, but he would never quite forget them in his life.

Walking through the jetbridge - what a nice new word he had learnt from the nice lady taking his ticket - and what a shiny ticket it was, instantly his new greatest treasure, even better than the Jimbo and the Jet Set VCR Mummy and Daddy had given him last Christmas, because it was real – he knew it was only going to take him another few seconds before he would finally be on an aeroplane. 

“Sorry, kid, could you just let me pass quickly? I'm in a bit of a hurry.” 

Martin automatically stepped aside and then he saw the uniform. 

“Oh. Oh, you're a pilot!” 

The man turned around and smiled at him. 

“Yes, I am. But I'm not going to fly today, or at least not myself. I'll be a passenger, just like you.” 

With that, the man turned around and strode up to the flight deck to give the woman standing in the doorway a kiss before whispering something in her ear. She giggled, batted at his arm playfully and closed the door behind her. 

Martin and his Mummy had the aisle and middle seats, because the window seat was already occupied by the pilot. 

“Mummy, can I sit in the middle, please?” Martin whispered to his mum, who nodded. Martin gingerly sat down in his seat. Mummy was already talking to his dad on the other side of the aisle. 

Craning his neck, Martin tried peering out of the window unobtrusively, but failed. Utterly. 

“Might this be your first flight, my young friend?” asked the uniformed man. 

Martin looked at Mummy, she always told him not to talk to strangers, but she smiled at him (and then, a bit different at the pilot) and he turned around to stutter out his answer. 

“Y-yes. And I really wanted to see...” he broke off his sentence. 

The man probably wanted to look out of the window, too. Telling him this would be very impolite and Mummy always told him not to be impolite, too. 

“You know what, why don't we just swap seats?” asked the pilot, smiling again, not looking at Martin, but at his mum, though, who smiled back at him again. Apparently, he had also learnt proper etiquette from his mum and knew to ask parents for permission. 

“If it's no bother for you, that would be lovely.” answered Martin's mother for him.

Finally, Martin was sitting in the window and looking outside. He could see the other planes from here, it was amazing. And they would be taking off soon. It was all so exciting.

“That was really awfully nice of you.You see, Martin here loves aeroplanes. He wants to become a pilot, which you already are, aren't you?”

“Indeed I am, Mrs. …?”

“Crieff, but please, call me Wendy.”

“My pleasure, Wendy. My name's Douglas. First Officer Douglas Richardson, to be precise. But I won't be much longer, luckily.”

“Oh, are you switching professions?” Martin's mum asked the pilot.

“Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of it. You see, I have just been offered a promotion to Captain. Me and my girlfriend are flying to Majorca to celebrate. Or at least, she's flying. I'm... being flown. Of which I will take full advantages.” he answered, grinning and ringing the service bell.

“You're going to be a Captain?” Martin piped in timidly. “That's amazing. You must know a lot about planes!” 

“Coincidentally, I do. This here, for example, is a Hawker Siddeley Trident, the fastest subsonic aircraft there is.” the pilot, no, Douglas had turned to Martin again.

“Wow. Have you flown it?” Martin asked him, encouraged by the pilot's easy behaviour.

“Yes, several times. There's five of them in the Air England fleet, along with a different type of Hawker Siddeley, some Vickers, lots of Boeings, a BAC, a Lockheed and, of course, the Concorde.”

“That's the really big and fast one that looks like a paper plane, isn't it?”

Douglas chuckled. “Yes, you could say it does. But it does fly rather nicely.”

The stewardess came to their row. “Sir,you have... Oh, Douglas, it's you.” Suddenly, she wasn't smiling anymore.

“Irene, how nice to see you again. How's your dear husband?” Douglas asked her, his smile still there, but not really. 

“Since when has my husband been any of your concern?” Her glare could cool Coca-Cola, Martin was sure of it.

“Well, since you asked...” Douglas started but was quickly cut off by the stewardess. “Don't even get started. What do you want? Though it'll take a while, we're going to take off any minute now.”

“Whiskey, please, straight. And for this charming lady and her son?”

“Tea, please, if you would be so kind. Martin, you surely want one of these horribly Cola drinks,won't you?” 

Martin nodded. As did the stewardess, before turning around and stalking out of sight.

The engines started humming. He was going to fly.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really not sure whether I liked how this turned out and whether there's gonna be a second part explaining more and/or a present-day, maybe D/M follow-up. 
> 
> If you have any opinions on the matter, feel free to tell me.
> 
> Oh, and if you would like to beta and/or brit-pick for me, I'd be delighted.


End file.
